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To finish A Dead End in ARC Raiders, reach the underground Security Wing on The Blue Gate, power the locked room with three batteries, play the Project Heartwood recording, collect the Dusty Film Reel, then extract and deliver it to Shani in Speranza. The quest objectives must be completed in one round.
Before you start
Shani gives you A Dead End after Groundbreaking. Bring the quest into a Blue Gate raid and plan to complete every objective before extracting; the quest page specifies that they must be done “IN ONE ROUND.”
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The main challenge is getting three batteries to the locked room’s console. Battery spawns vary, and carrying one leaves you exposed. If you have a suitable augment, reserve its safe pocket for the Dusty Film Reel once you collect it.
Reach the Security Wing
There is more than one route into the underground area, and the best choice depends on your position and familiarity with the map. Guides describe these approaches:
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- Through Headhouse: descend from Headhouse into the underground Security Wing. PC Gamer’s walkthrough describes this route.
- From Checkpoint Outer Gates: enter the gates and head west through the Traffic Tunnel. PC Gamer and GameSpot cover access from the Checkpoint area.
- Via a zipline near a small structure: GameSpot describes this as a quick way to descend near the Checkpoint approach.
- Through the tunnels beneath Reinforced Reception: Dexerto points to this as another way to reach the underground area.
These are alternatives, not guaranteed safest or fastest routes for every raid. Choose the approach that suits your location and the threats you encounter.
Power the locked room
- Search the Security Wing for three batteries. Check Access Capacitor Racks and nearby rooms; spawn locations vary, so do not expect every battery in a fixed spot.
- Carry each battery to the console beside the locked door. Place all three batteries in the console to open the room.
- Manage the exposure while carrying. Dexerto reports that carrying a battery prevents shooting or sprinting. Clear nearby ARC threats or coordinate with other players before making a carry if the area is contested. In a squad, teammates can help cover the route; solo, move cautiously and avoid assuming you can sprint away from danger.
The guides support both solo and cooperative completion, but do not establish a universally safest battery route. Searching longer may help you locate batteries, while every carry adds exposure in the underground area.
Play the recording and take the reel
- Interact with the film equipment or console by the screens. This plays the Project Heartwood recording.
- Search the nearby container or machine. Interact with it to reveal the Dusty Film Reel.
- Pick up the reel itself. Searching the container does not complete the objective; you must interact again to collect the item.
The quest page transcribes the recording as follows: “Project Heartwood representative of pioneering innovators. Turnkey solutions of rising ecological instability. The Board of Directors has today concluded that it did not meet the key performance indicated destabilization of our planet’s ecological resources away from terrestrial solutions. We have instead set up new state of the art technologies to safeguard humanity’s fearless spirit beyond the final frontier.”
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Keep the Dusty Film Reel until you extract, then deliver it to Shani in Speranza. If you have an augment with a safe pocket, GameSpot recommends placing the quest item there to protect it if you die before reaching extraction. The reel must make it out with you for the hand-in.
Rewards and what unlocks next
Completing A Dead End awards Patchwork (Warden Color) and 2,000 Coins, and unlocks part of the Project Heartwood entry in the Codex. The quest page lists both A Rising Tide and Fragmented Logs under “Next”; GamesRadar+ also reports A Rising Tide as a follow-up, so it is not the only listed next quest.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Shani says about Project Heartwood
After the hand-in, Shani’s completion dialogue on the quest page is: “Doesn’t sound like they failed to keep the world from collapsing; sounds like they gave up halfway through.” It is character dialogue, not an outside assessment of Project Heartwood.
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